Roasted guinea hen still on the spit.
If I remember correctly, Ken put a dish of peeled potatoes under the bird to roast in the drippings. Nothing is wasted. And it was delicious, to boot!
We're starting to think about what kind of bird we want to roast for Christmas dinner. I think we've narrowed it down to either a turkey, a guinea fowl capon, or a local black-feathered chicken called a géline de Touraine. The géline is an older breed of farm chicken that died out, but it's been "reconstituted" through the crossing of the black Croad Langshan and the Bress Gauloise Noir breeds. The poultry vendor at our local farmers' market has them, but you have to order them in advance. They cost more than a standard chicken or guinea hen, but the gélines are arguably the best chickens I have ever tasted; worth the price for a special occasion.
I will have to look at the market for that Geline chicken.
ReplyDeleteI bought a regular roasting chicken a couple of weeks ago and already the family loved it.
This makes my mouth water. If the picture is this delicious, I can only imagine what it really tasted like.
ReplyDeletelooks wonderful....does it spatter a lot in oven while cooking...so u have to clean oven each time u rotiss?
ReplyDeleteooooh ooooh!
ReplyDeleteYou two have written about the Géline before, haven't you?
Oh man! I haven't had breakfast yet. I have never eaten a géline; I wonder if I can find it in LA?
ReplyDeleteI'll go on google to find out.
Dash it all Walt.....now I have to clean the drool off my computer screen!
ReplyDeleteSmells good too.
We tasted the Bress chickens in France after travelling the back roads to find a poultry farm to see how they are raised. Their life may be short, but it certainly seems to be happy. Heaps of space to range about and peck in. The size of the wing on a normal sized bird was huge. Ample evidence of the flapping around they got to do. Delicious also!
Sue
Twice today two different people announced they wanted proper chickens, or Cornish Hens, for Christmas dinner. I think a good chicken is a lot like a homegrown tomato.
ReplyDeleteThat fowl looks splendid.
ReplyDeleteA long time ago, my Dad acquired a half dozen Guinea Fowl chicks that he wished to raise to feed our family. Unfortunately they all escaped over time and we never got to eat even one of them. It lools like we really missed out.
I am a traditionalist. Turkey for Christmas. I love chicken but I prefer the taste of turkey for the feast holidays.
That looks beyond delicious.
ReplyDeletet.c.h, let me know if you find one and how you like it.
ReplyDeletemitch, very tasty. I like pintade; it's got a slightly different flavor from a chicken.
melinda, a lot less mess that you'd think. It's all in how you catch the drippings.
judy, yes, I think so.
nadege, I'd really be surprised...
sue, I don't know if I've ever gotten a real Bresse bird... I should try one.
michael, I agree.
mike, too bad about the hens! I like turkey, too, especially here in France. But we had one last year, so we're going to mix it up a bit!
archguy, like I said, very tasty! I love roasted poultry. One of the most memorable meals I've eaten was a roast chicken with fries in a Parisian café, many years ago.